Detergent composition



Patented Aug. 28, 1945 DETERGENT COMPOSITION Nathaniel Beverley Tucker, Glendale, Ohio, assignor to The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Application February 19, 1942, Serial No. 431,551

12 Claims. (Cl. 252 152) This invention relates to improved washing and cleansing compositions containing as the essential detergent material an organic sulfuric acid derivative containing a sulfate or sulfonate group. More particularly the invention relates to builders for such detergent materials.

In the present specification and in the claims, the term "builder is employed in its dictionary meaning to designate a substance used with or in a detergent material to aid in cleansing.

It is an object of my invention to provide organic sulfate and sulfonate detergent compositions having improved detergent properties.

A further object of my invention is to provide a builder for organic sulfate and sulfonate detergents.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description.

Some compounds and compositions have already been provided for improving the sudsing and detergent properties of the organic sulfate and sulfonate detergents, but as far as I am aware the power of the particular compounds referred to herein to enhance these properties has not been known heretofore.

According to my invention N-acylated morpholines having 12 to 14 carbon atoms in the acyl radical are excellent compounds for improving the detergent action of sulfate and sulfonate detergents. These compounds may be illustrated by the following general formula CHr-CH:

where R-CO is an acyl residue having 12 to 14 carbon atoms.

While the above compounds are most eflicient when used in pure form, the presence of minor amounts of impurities or of acyl morpholines having other than twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical are not seriously harmful. For example, any sulfate or sulfonate detergent composition containing a mixture of acyl morpholines consisting predominantly of those morpholines having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical are to be construed as coming within the scope of the present invention. A suitable mixture of acyl morpholines, for example, may be derived from the mixture of fatty acids obtained from tropical nut oils of the coconut oil group, of which coconut oil, palm kernel, corozo nut oil, etc., are typical examples. It is known that oils of this class are composed of glycerides of a fatty acid mixture consisting predominantly of acids having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms. and therefore the acyl morpholine mixture prepared therefrom will consist predominantly of these morpholines having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical.

The following examples will illustrate the effectiveness of my builders and will demonstrate how the invention may be practiced, it being understood, however, that I am not limited to the specific conditions given therein.

Example 1.To 10 parts of lauroyl morpholine are added parts of commercial sodium alkyl sulfate (35.5% active ingredient) prepared from the higher alcohols obtained by the hydrogenation of coconut oil. This mixture will contain the lauroyl morpholine and active alkyl sulfate in ratio of 1:3.2 and may be employed as a detergent in washing operations with highly satisfactory results as to detergent efliciency superior to those obtained by the use of the alkyl sulfate alone. The lauroyl morpholine more than replaces its own weight of detergent in cleansing operations and actually produces a mixture which has an apparent washing power more than three times that of the commercial alkyl sulfate without the added lauroyl morpholine.

Example 2.-To 10 parts of lauroyl morpholine are added 90 parts of a detergent material containing as the active constituent the mono-coconut-oil-fatty-acid-ester of 1,2 dihydroxy propane 3 sodium sulfonate. The detergent material contained 40 per cent active ingredient and therefore the lauroyl morpholine and the active detergent existed in the ratio of 1:3.6. The mixture has an apparent washing power several times that of the original commercial detergent.

Myristoyl morpholine and the acyl morpholine mixture derived from the fatty acids of coconut oil will show similar activity in improving the cleansing power of sulfate and sulfonate detergents.

I have specifically illustrated in the examples the superior washing power of mixtures containing builder and sulfate or sulfonate detergent in the ratio of about 1 :3 on the basis of active constituents. I am not limited to this ratio, however, because the optimum ratio will vary with the specific combination of ingredients. In general the ratio of acyl morpholine to active detergent for best result lies in the range of 1:20 to 1:1 in practically all cases, usually between 1:5 to 1:2. For truly economical operation the weight of the acyl morpholine should not exceed the weight of the active detergent even though the sudsing and cleansing effect of a given weight of the pure active principle is sometimes increased by replacing even as much as half of its weight by the acyl morpholine.

Instead of the sodium alkyl sulfate detergent used in Example 1, water-soluble salts of other alkyl sulfuric acids suitable for use in washing and detergent compositions and having 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical may be built with the acyl morpholines of the present invention with surprising beneficial results. Especially are my builders useful in assisting the cleansing action of water-soluble salts of those alkyl sulfuric acids having 10 to 14 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical and with these detergents the builder action is particularly outstanding. Thus the alkyl sulfates derived from the higher alcohols obtained from oils of the coconut oil group are markedly improved in their cleansing action by the addition of the acyl morpholines herein covered. These alkyl sulfates, of course, consist predominantly of lauryl and myristyl sulfates.

In addition to the alkyl sulfate detergents and the detergent employed in Example 2, that is, the higher fatty acid mono-ester of 1,2 dihydroxy propane 3 sodium sulfonate, (more commonly referred to as monoglyceride sulfonate) any other sulfate or sulfonate detergent which is suitable as a washing and detergent agent in aqueous solution is improved by the addition of the acyl morpholines of the present invention; For example, beneficial results will be noted when the builders are employed with detergents of the Igepon type such as the water-soluble salts of the higher fatty acid monoesters of lower molecular weight hydroxy alkyl sulfonic acids (oleic acid ester of the sodium salt of isethionic acid as well as the coconut oil monoglyceride sulfonate of Example 2) and of the higher fatty acid amides of low molecular aminoalkyl sulfonic acids (ammonium salt of oleic acid amide of methyl taurine). Likewise my builders may be employed with water-soluble salts of the sulfated higher fatty acid monoglycerides (sodium salt of coconut oil monoglyceride sulfuric acid), the higher alcohol esters of sulfocarboxylic acids (sodium salt of lauryl sulfoacetic acid), higher alkylated benzene sulfonic acids (potassium salt of Keryl benzene sulfonic acid), sulfated higher fatty acid alkylolamides (the sodium salt of sulfated coconut oil fatty acid ethanolamide) and the higher alcohol ethers of lower hydroxy alkyl sulfonic acids (mono lauryl ether of 1,2 dihydroxy propane 3 sodium sulfonate).

My invention is not limited to any particular method of mixing the acyl morpholines with the sulfate and sulfonate detergents. They may be incorporated in the detergent in any of the forms in which the detergents are manufactured. The builder may be mechanically mixed in; it may be crutched into the detergent in the form of a 1. A cleansing compositioncomprising essentially a mixture of a detergent having pronounced detergent power and selected from the group consisting of water soluble salts of organic sulfonic acids and water soluble salts of aliphatic sulfuric acid esters, and a N-acyl morpholine having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical, the amount by weight of the N-acyi morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the said detergent but sufficient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

2. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a. detergent having pronounced detergent power and selected from the group consisting of water soluble salts of higher alkyl sulfuric acids, higher fatty acid esters of lower molecular weight hydroxy alkyl sulfonic acids, higher fatty acid amides of low molecular amino-alkyl sulfonic acids, higher fatty acid monoglyceride sulfuric acids, higher alcohol esters of sulfocarboxylic acids, higher alkylated benzene sulfonic acids, higher alcohol ethers of lower hydroxy alkyl sulfonic acids and higher fatty acid alkylolamide sulfuric acids, and an N-acyl morpholine having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the alkyl radical, the amount by weight of the N-acyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the detergent but sufficient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

3. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a detergent having pronounced detergent power and selected from the group consisting of water soluble salts of organic sulfonic acids and water soluble salts of aliphatic sulfuric acid esters, and lauroyl morpholine, the amount by weight of the lauroyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the said detergent but sumcient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

40. 4. A cleansing composition comprising essenslurry; it may be dissolved in a solution of the detergent and, as in the case of the monoglyceride true sulfonate detergents, it may be present by virtue of its use as a flux in the manufacture of the detergent material. While such ready for use mixtures may be manufactured and may be preferable for many purposes, it is likewise within the scope of my invention to add my builder to water prior to the adding of the detergent or vice versa, or to add both builder and detergent simultaneously but separately to the water.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 15;-

tially a mixture of a detergent having pronounced detergent power and selected from the group consisting of water soluble salts of organic sulfonic acids and water soluble salts of aliphatic sulfuric acid esters, and myristoyl morpholine, the amount by weight of the myristoyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the said detergent but suflicient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

5. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a detergent having pronounced detergent power and selected from the group consisting of water soluble salts of organic sulfonic acids and water soluble salts of aliphatic sulfuric acid esters, and a mixture of acyl morpholines derived from a mixture of fatty acids obtained from coconut oil and consisting predominantly of lauric and myristic acids, the amount by weight of the acyl morpholine mixture being less than the amount by weightof the said detergent but sufllcient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

6. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a water soluble salt of an alkyl sulfuric acid having eight to eighteen carbon atoms in the alkyl radical, the said salt having pronounced detergent properties, and a N-acyl morpholine having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical, the amount by weight of the N-acyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the water soluble salt but suillcient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

'7. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a water soluble salt of alkyl sulfuric acids derived from higher alcohols obtained from coconut oil, the said salt having pronounced detergent power, and a mixture of N-acyl morpholines derived from coconut oil fatty acids, the amount by weight of the acyl morpholine mixture being less than the amount by weight of the water soluble salt but sufficient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

8. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a water soluble salt of a mixture of allwl sulfuric acids consisting predominantly of lauryl sulfuric acid, the said salt having pronounced detergent power, and lauroyl morpholine, the amount by weight of lauroyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the said water soluble salt but sumcient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

9. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a water soluble salt of a mixture of alkyl sulfuric acids derived from higher alcohols obtained from an oil of the coconut oil group, the said salt having pronounced detergent power, and a mixture of Neacyl morpholines derived from a mixture of fatty acids consisting predominantly of lauric and myristic acids, the amount by weight of the acyl morpholine mixture being less than the amount by weight of the said water soluble salt but sufllcient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

10. A cleansing composition claimed in claim 1 in which the ratio of N-aeyl morpholine to the detergent is between 1:20 to 1:1.

11. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a water soluble salt of the coconut oil fatty acid monoester of 1,2-dihydroxy propane-S-sulfonic acid, and a N-acyl morpholine having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical, the amount by weight of the N-acyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the said water soluble salt but suflicient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

12. A cleansing composition comprising essentially a mixture of a water soluble salt of coconut oil monoglyceride sulfuric acid, and a N-acyl morpholine having twelve to fourteen carbon atoms in the acyl radical, the amount by weight of the N-acyl morpholine being less than the amount by weight of the said water soluble salt but suflicient to enhance the detergent power thereof.

NATHANIEL BEVERLEY TUCKER. 

